The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the bail plea of jailed Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav in connection with three fodder scam cases.
Lalu’s lawyer Kapil Sibal cited the judgment of the court where the court had in a similar case granted bail to a petitioner. Sibal said that his client has already served 22 months in jail in the cases and it is a case of conspiracy.
“There is no demand and recovery and this is a case of conspiracy,” he said.
To this, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said that Lalu has to serve the sentence in each case.
“I don’t think we can grant you bail,” he said and dismissed the Special Leave Petition.
The RJD supremo has been lodged in Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Jail since December 2017 after a CBI court convicted him in three cases related to the fodder scam. Lalu faces more than 13 years in jail.
Earlier on Tuesday, the CBI had opposed Lalu’s plea for bail in the top court saying it will set “very wrong precedent” in cases involving “serious corruption in high offices”. The agency had told the court that Lalu is likely to get involved in political activities and misuse the bail ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The agency added that during the period in which Lalu remained in hospital, “he was not only granted a special paying ward with all facilities but he was virtually conducting his political activities from there which would be clear form the list of visitors”. It also noted that Lalu claimed to be so unwell that he could not remain in jail and needed to be hospitalised, but is suddenly fully fit physically and has sought bail.
The fodder scam unearthed in 1996. It pertains to embezzlement of around Rs 1,000 crore from the state exchequer for the purchase of fictitious medicines and fodder for cattle during Lalu’s tenure as the Chief Minister of Bihar.